John Terry's fate will prove a snapshot of our society's health

John Terry will be able to play for England at EURO 2012 after his race row court case was adjourned until after the tournament. It'll go ahead at West London Magistrates on July 9th. Will the deposed captain be part of the squad at all? The first question for England manager-elect, Alan Pardew!  

The Crown Prosecution Service took time to determine a strong enough case against him but contest there's enough evidence for him to face a racially aggravated public order charge.

Queen's Park Rangers fiery 1-nil win over Chelsea on October 23rd was overshadowed when Hammersmith Police were alerted and millions more were shocked by what they saw on TV and YouTube.

Terry insisted he'd had clear-the-air talks with Ferdinand coming off the pitch. But the QPR defender didn't see the video till later and hadn't heard Terry's alleged outburst at the time.

A squad of families to choose from

Terry vehemently denies he's racist and claims the video takes him out of context. “I thought Anton was accusing me of using a racist slur against him. I responded aggressively, saying that I never used that term. I will fight this charge tooth and nail”, he said.

Amid all the TV camera angles there've been, this uncensored close-up of Terry's the clearest evidence yet of a very strong case against him to be answered.

John Terry's no ordinary person at the dock, and although he shouldn't be treated any differently from anyone else facing charges of racism, he remains in a position of responsibility to behave inside boundaries. Despite his repeated horridness, incredibly some fans still do look upto him.

He will kiss anything.

The damage a conviction could do to his life and playing career could prove much more costly. What credibility would remain of a convicted Terry as role model England skipper? Could he ever play for the national team again? What about Chelsea? They've already said they'll stand by him - but should they?

 

Football can and should punish him severely if found guilty as charged. Society simply can't afford to tolerate this kind of alleged behaviour from a player of his standing and level.

No one will believe football's story of standing against racism and other forms of prejudice if the authorities don't.